This is why cage diving with sharks is bad!

[LIVES4SHARKS]

I hope you're not serious, or am I the proof that drinking after 6 beers doesn't increase the likelihood of an auto accident?...

Well I wasn't drinking and diving!

What I was trying to get across, is that if divers were put at greater risk of sharks being fed, we would see alot more divers injured at those areas. I am not saying that things can't get hairy down there. You have to keep on your guard, just like you would if you were watching lions eating during a safari. I did not witness any agression and the Tigers came back for more contact with us. The event on Abernathy's boat last year is not the norm. They also were in deeper water and bull sharks came into the picture. It's unfortunate the turn of events, but that doesn't mean it happened because the sharks are fed all the time. It can happen anywhere with or without chumming.

Carolyn:shark2:

 

[widget]

Yes, I am in agreement with you there Live4sharks.

Generally, because sharks congregate where there is an abundance of food, feeding takes place in these natural conditions, (eg) around seal colonies, and the amount of extra food supplied into the sharks enviroment via this feeding is very minimal, consequently all of these animals still need to hunt to live, but like a kid in a sweet shop, they will accept all handouts.

If one just looks at the thousands and thousands of shark feeding dives done in the Carribean alone, with an almost, if not 100% safety record,(fair enough I accept these are reletively harmless sharks under normal conditions, but like any animal they could inflict a serious wound should they so desire) it seems natural to assume that, sharks, like any animal can and do learn to associate food with a certain condition, (boats, divers etc),but there has been no concrete proof that I know of to conclude that, providing their remains a sufficient supply of natural food, that feeding will result in an increase in attacks on divers.

I read somewhere that some researcher once said "You have a greater chance of a Coke machine falling on you than been attacked by a shark." - Dont quote me on it, but I thought it was kinda appropriate.!

 

[pelagic_by_nature]

Well, maybe if, when the shark looks your way, you point at your chest in mock surprise, then shake your head while pushing one palm forward and waving it, he'll understand you're un-conditioning him to associate you with eating.

Good one!!:rofl4:

 

[courtneyinpink]

That "Devil's Teeth" book scared me so bad.

 

[ygthad]

Thanks for your post..

 

[carcharodon15]

Although it is possible for a 2,000 pound great white to ram open a cage, as was the case off the coast of France in 1992,

 

[carcharodon15]

Although it is possible for a 2,000 pound great white to ram open a cage, as was the case off the coast of France in 1992, I wouldn't advise anyone
to dive with white shark without the protction of a cage.

For information about shark, visit

Shark Attacks - And How to Avoid Them

 

[BDAfreediver]

Found this Description on Amazon.com

In a post-Jaws/Discovery Channel world, unearthing fresh data on great white sharks is a feat. So credit Susan Casey not just with finding and spotlighting two biologists who have done truly pioneering field research on the beasts but also with following them and their subjects into the heart of one of the most unnatural habitats on Earth: the Farallon Islands. Though just 30 miles due west of San Francisco, the Farallones--nicknamed the Devil's Teeth for their ragged appearance and raging inhospitality--are utterly alien, which may explain why each autumn, packs of great whites return to gorge on the seals and sea lions that gather there before returning to the Pacific and beyond. That Casey, via her biologist buddies Peter Pyle and Scot Anderson, can even report that sharks apparently follow migratory feeding patterns is a revelation. Throughout The Devil's Teeth, Casey makes clear that year upon year of observing the sharks have given Pyle and Anderson (and by extension, us) insights into shark behavior that are entirely new and too numerous to list. The otherworldly Farallon Islands, meanwhile, also dominate Casey's engaging tale as she charts their transformation from ultradangerous source of wild eggs in the 19th century to ultradangerous real-life shark lab and bird sanctuary today. Despite the plethora of factoids on offer, Casey's style is consistently digestible and very amusing. She also has a knack for putting things into perspective. Take this characteristic passage:
The Farallon great whites are largely unharassed. They might cross paths with the occasional boatload of day-trippers from San Francisco, but they're subjected to none of the behavior-altering coercion that nature's top predators regularly endure so that people can sit in the Winnebago... and get a look at them. This is important because despite their visibility at the Farallones, and despite the impressive truth that sharks are so old they predate trees, great whites have remained among the most mysterious of creatures."
By book's end, it's hard to know what's more captivating: The biologists' groundbreaking data, Casey's primer on the evolution of the Farallones, the islands' symbiotic relationships with the sharks, the gulls and sea lions they attract, or the outpost's resident ghosts. Frankly, it's a nice problem to have. --Kim Hughes

hope this explains it for some, sounds very interesting!

 

[Chaseh]

As for the non-cage dives, it is a matter of common sense and classic conditioning. Chum the water, then throw in divers. Hmmm... divers = food! It is amazing that more accidents don't happen. But I wonder how many near-misses there are that do not get reported?

Actually, for most of these rodeos, the divers don't equal food. The sharks that are typically baited do not feed on mammals, like Great White would, and attacks are usually due to provocation, not hunger.

 

[DAVID ENGINE]

There is a great deal of speculation surrounding shark attack and the pros and cons of shark feeding forthe benefit of tourism.

"Shark attack," "Shark bite" and "Shark encounter" are three very seperate descriptions that can be applied to most aggressive/injurious meetings between man and shark. I would say from my own experience and knowledge, 95% of shark bites have been preceeded by human actions (you could say 100% as humans entering the sharks domain can be classed as human action).

There is a dearth of accurate information and statistics, the majority of "documentaries" cannot be classed as having any major educational value but the work into understanding shark attacks on humans continues although there is a likelihood we will never fully understand the motives behind every attack (the mistaken identity theory does not wash with me, sharks are too intelligent to "mistake" an object on the surface, these are mainly investigatory encounters)

The Bahamian government discovere fairly recently that the value to the local economy of a dead shark is roughly $150, the value of a live shark 10 times as much. Shark tourism, relies on their being sharks in the locale and it's not just the operators who profit...taxi drivers, hotels, restaurants, shops, local traders etc all financially benefit from the presence of sharks.

Promoting positive encounters with sharks is the way forward, however ensuring these encounters are as controlled as any wildlife encounter can be and all operators are rigorously govenerned to ensure the shark's welfare is the priority and no human is injured (creating bad press for sharks) then shark diving/feeds are far more preferable to shark fishing. Less dead sharks, more money for local communities. Everyone wins.